For some, the desire to start a business is so compelling that there is no recourse but going down the path of entrepreneurship. Saksham Agarwal, Founder and CEO of Acropolis Infotech Private Limited, is one such entrepreneur who saw an opportunity to carve a niche in the realm of digital experience. Incorporated in 2016 and based out of New Delhi, they specialise in providing custom software solutions.

The cornerstone of the philosophy of Acropolis is that services at the front-end should be excellent and supported by an even better back-end. In this way they are able to differentiate themselves in a marketplace that is crowded and almost saturated.

In conversation with GlobalLinker (GL) Saksham Agarwal (SA) shares his business journey.

GL: Tell us about your business.

SA: Acropolis is a custom software development company catering to clients from across the globe. We deal in mobile, web, analytics and enterprise apps. Most of the ideas corresponding to new startups can be optimised using technology but the problem is how to find authentic and within-budget resources to do that job. Hiring resources in-house is more time consuming and costlier. 

I have worked for several years with a few IT companies in their business development departments and always felt the need to fill the gap between quality and pricing. Moreover, I always had that ‘keeda’ (strong wish) to build a company from scratch, I only needed an idea to start with. I started working on Acropolis from early 2015 and got it incorporated legally in 2016.

We are also working on several software products which we believe will be influential. One such product is called ‘AdFarm’ which is currently in its development phase. The product will target the advertising industry which and it may revolutionise the brand placement game in all online and offline channels - be it social media, Hollywood or Bollywood movies. 

GL: What are the challenges you have faced in establishing your business?

SA: Challenges never get over, you have to get over them. Building the team of like-minded professionals with complementing skill-sets was the biggest challenge, but this had to be done as we wanted to offer a seamless service experience in the IT sector. Another challenge was to manage the team and operations with an extremely tight cash flow. There were times in the initial phase of establishment when we didn’t get any assignments for a couple of months in a row. 

GL: Do you believe that the ‘ease of doing business’ in India has improved?

SA: I strongly believe that the ‘ease of doing business’ in India has been improved significantly, however, much more needs to be done. 

GL: What is the USP of your business?

SA:  An alluring front-end and an even better back-end is the foremost requirement for the development of every excellent soft tech product. If your product is lacking in any of these two factors, you need to invest significant time, effort and money in your product immediately. Considering the same, we are committed to meet at the intersection of technology, user interface and user experience. Further, we assign a dedicated SPOC (Single Point of Contact) to each of our clients to avoid any communication gaps.

GL: What are some of the milestones of your business?

SA: Within less than a year, we have a team of 15 members and are rapidly growing. In terms of revenue, we have grown from not getting assignments for a couple of months to now having multiple projects from industry leaders and clients from across the world. In terms of our office, we started from a small residential apartment and now have an ODC (Offshore Development Centre) in New Delhi, India. We also have our associate offices in United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK).

We are also working on projects for Uttarakhand Tourism with the State Government of Uttarakhand.

GL: What role do you feel GlobalLinker plays in connecting & assisting SMEs?

SA: GlobalLinker is an amazing initiative which is playing a vital role in connecting and assisting SMEs. It is an ever growing, large network of market leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals and companies. We can connect with like-minded people over GlobalLinker and can also draw inspiration from other SMEs. Fortunately, I got a chance to connect with some of the members of GlobalLinker and I must say brainstorming sessions cannot be better than the ones that we were a part of! Not only this, we also got a few assignments through GlobalLinker.

GL:  What is your big business dream?

SA: Let’s call it a ‘vision with a plan’. My vision is to have some excellent software tech products under the name ‘Acropolis’. These would have the potential to solve the most severe problems experienced by industries and people from different parts of the world. For the same, we have a dedicated in-house R&D team. Further, we are exploring the possibilities of growing geographically. Our motive is to build trust and be the pioneer in software development outsourcing around the globe.

GL: What is your message to aspiring entrepreneurs?

SA: Don’t wait for the right time to get started. The right time is either now or never. Along with passion and a vision you need to have clarity. Once you start, never give up and if this thought ever comes to your mind then simply think why you started in the first place. Be assured of the fact that everything will fall in the right place eventually. Falling down repeatedly and rising up every time with even more confidence and determination is a vital part of establishing any business from scratch.

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